Gist Arena

There is a “sudden influx” of Boko Haram members in Lagos, while the sect’s cells are now present in Plateau, Gombe and Enugu states as well, the department of state services (DSS) revealed on Sunday. According to the service, the spread of the insurgent group to the south is due to the intense pressure being put on them in the northeast of the country. The state police also revealed that some of the sect’s commanders had been rounded up in Lagos and Enugu. “In line with the Department of State Services’ (DSS) re-strategised counter-terrorism measures to combat the menace of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, the service has continued to make significant breakthroughs in this direction,” it said through Tony Opuiyo, its acting spokesman. “This followed the rounding-up of notable commanders and frontline members of the notorious group from different parts of the country. It should be noted that the group’s new pattern of movement and spread is necessitated by ...

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has released the identities of 21 alleged commanders and front-line members of the Boko Haram terrorist group arrested in different parts of the country. In a statement signed by Mr Tony Opuiyo, the DSS explained that the successful arrest is a result of the services’ “re-strategised measures to combat the insurgency menace”. The suspects are said to have been arrested in Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Enugu and Gombe States between July 8 and August 25, 2015. “They include those allegedly responsible for the coordination and execution of the suicide attacks in Potiskum, Kano, Zaria and Jos who were arrested on July 8 in Gombe State”, the statement said. The suspects named by the DSS include “Usman Shuaibu a.k.a money, said to be the co-ordinator of the suicide attacks, Ahmed Mohammed also known as Abubakar, an Improvised Explosives Device (IED) expert, who is said to have prepared the IEDs for the attacks. “Others are A...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has listed new instances of the insane looting of the treasury by some officials of the Jonathan Administration, saying the corruption mess that characterized the administration was so pervasive that until it is cleaned, Nigeria will not be able to actualize its potentials.  In a statement issued in Abuja, on Sunday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said: ”Those who would rather give comfort to the looters by dismissing the media exposure of looting cases as mere hell-raising should realize that no sane person can be silent in the face of what is unfolding as the worst cases of brazen stealing of public funds in Nigeria’s history. ”On Aug. 16th 2015, we listed some instances of the breath-taking looting of the treasury by some officials of the immediate past Administration. Today, we bring three more heart-rendering cases to the attention of Nigerians. We will not relent until closure has been brou...

Nigeria’s secret police on Sunday, disclosed that it had arrested notable Boko Haram suspects, including a key commander, linked with several suicide attacks across the country, reports AFP.  The Department of State Services (DSS) said in a statement said that Usman Shuiabu known as Money and other frontline members of the hardline Islamist group were picked up in Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Enugu and Gombe states between July and August. “Of particular note was the arrest on 8th July, 2015 in Gombe state of those responsible for the coordination and execution of the suicide attacks in Potiskum, Kano, Zaria and Jos. “Shuaibu admitted being the leader of the team of nine sect members that was dispatched from Sambisa Forest to carry out the attacks. He disclosed that four out of the nine of them were used as suicide bombers in executing all the suicide attacks,” it said. It said the arrest of Shuaibu and other core members of his cell had stemmed the spate of bombings...

Nobel Laurette, Prof Wole Soyinka, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as somebody who should not be taken seriously, adding that he has no respect for him.  Soyinka said this at the weekend during an event organised by telecommunication giant, Globacom, at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, in his honour. The event, gathering of the creme de la creme in the literary industry, was tagged, “An Evening With Soyinka”. Responding to a question from Kunle Ajibade on Obasanjo’s judgment on him (Soyinka) recently as a political illiterate, Soyinka said Obasanjo has a right to his opinion, stressing however, that Obasanjo is a liar, as well as an ‘economic illiterate’. “Obasanjo is entitled to his opinion. The question is ‘who can respect the opinion of a liar’? He is a liar and can prove that. He has been described as an economic illiterate. His book, ‘My watch’ is full of lies. In fact, he began the book with a lie when he said...

Mother of two, Hassana Usman was one of the seven persons who lost their lives in yesterday's air-force helicopter crash. Her friends says she was free spirited and the most amazing human being anyone will meet. RIP, Hassana.

The murky details emerging from the murder case is looking like scenes from Zee World. Sheena Bora (pictured above) was allegedly murdered by her mother, Indrani Mukherjea and her driver, Shyam Rai. They dumped her body in a suitcase, put it in the jungle and set it on fire. Early investigation claimed Sheena was murdered by her mother because she was having an incestuous relationship with her step-son, her third husband's son, Rahul but cops revealed that the murder could have happened due to the $120 million estate and monies belonging to Peter Mukherjea (Indrani's husband) which could have gone to Rahul and Sheena if they had gotten married. She even lied to people that her daughter had gone to the US for studies but her passport was discovered along with her skeletal remains and has been dispatched for DNA test. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria said Indrani's ex-husband has confessed to his complicity in the murder. The statement was...

The Federal Inland Revenue Service would soon go after multinational companies, corporate organisations and individuals who are evading payment of taxes in the country. The move, according to SUNDAY PUNCH’s investigations, is part of a renewed effort by the agency to boost tax revenue to fund the programmes of the Federal Government. Statistics obtained from the service revealed that out of the 450,000 companies in Nigeria, only 125,000, representing 27.7 per cent, pay any form of taxes. Going by this figure, it implies that about 325,000 companies are evading tax, thus denying the government huge revenue annually. In the 2015 fiscal year, the FIRS was given a revenue generation target of N4.5tn by the Federal Government and it has so far generated N2.667tn. But between January and July, findings by SUNDAY PUNCH showed that the service had collected a total sum of N2.374tn against the target of N2.667trn, thus having a revenue shorfall of N290bn within the seven...

Director-General, National Pension Commission, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu For the first time under the Contributory Pension Scheme, workers in active service will soon be allowed to withdraw 25 per cent of the balance in their Retirement Savings Account as collateral for mortgage loan before they reach retirement age. This was contained in the draft guidelines on withdrawals from the RSA, a copy, which was obtained by our correspondent from the National Pension Commission on Friday. The date for the commencement of such withdrawals by workers would soon be announced, it was learnt. According to the draft guidelines, such workers will, however, forfeit the lump sum payment and shall only be entitled to a monthly pension payment when they retire. Section 3.5 of the draft guidelines states that an eligible RSA holder shall be allowed to access a maximum of 25 per cent of the RSA balance as equity contribution for a mortgage loan. Section 3.4 also states that a RSA ...

Former Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Saturday, warned his successor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, against taking God for granted. Amaechi also said he decided to shun the judicial commission of inquiry set up by Wike because the panel was illegal. The ex-governor, while speaking with his supporters and members of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, stated that he would only appear before the commission of inquiry if Wike complied with the law. Amaechi stated that the governor had already adjudged him to be guilty in the presence of members of the panel and vowed that he would go to court over the matter. He insisted that he would not appear before the Justice George Omeriji panel until an independent person or body was called to handle the probe of his administration. Amaechi said, “Nyesom Wike was not afraid of God in the past; he never went to church. Today, he is going on bended knees to the same God we worship. Don’t take God for gran...

There were indications on Saturday that President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress had begun moves to compensate the South-East for not getting any appointments so far in the current administration. SUNDAY PUNCH reliably gathered that some states in the geopolitical zone might get more than one ministerial slot. The Presidency and the APC sources, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH on condition of anonymity, also justified the appointments made by Buhari on Thursday. A top member of the party said the President was not unmindful of criticisms that greeted the alleged lopsided appointments. He said, “The President has assured us that all zones that have not been represented in the appointments he has made so far will be compensated. “For example, some states in the South-East may get more than one ministerial slots. The President is going to make board and ambassadorial appointments. All zones, including the South-East, will be represented in this governm...

20-year-old Precious Ihemine, a JSS 2 student from Abia State, claims that her boyfriend impregnated and abandoned her. Ihemine is in police custody in Asaba, Delta State capital, where she is not finding it easy to free herself from police allegations of engaging in baby trafficking, following her arrest at the home of a polyethene packaging materials producer, John Mary Ihezue, who she claims is her employer. Arrested with her is another 20-year old, Blessing Okafor, who was also impregnated by her lover in a certain village in Enugu State. Both pregnant 20-year-olds were nabbed with six other ladies and two boys, when the police stormed the home-cum-business premises of Ihezue, who the police accused of running a baby factory. But the suspects have stoutly denied the allegation, stating that they were just working for Ihezue in his polythene factory and com­puter business, to earn legitimate income. Narrating how her ordeal began, Okafor told Sunday ...

The Sultan of Sokoto and President Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar, advised Muslim women to fight against corruption by rejecting stolen public funds from their husbands who are public office holders. He said this in Ilorin, Kwara state capital yesterday during the formal opening of the 30th annual national conference of Federation of Muslim Women’s Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN). He also advised wives of state governors and emirs to lead the campaign for girl-child education. The Sultan who spoke on ‘Motherhood and Leadership’ at the event  explained that, “the myriad of problems confronting the country starts from our homes.” He said: “If Nigeria is to see the change its citizens have been yearning for, women must start the crusade against corruption right from home. Nigerians must be ready to be the change they voted for during the last presidential election. Women must discuss corruption and ask ques...

According to Mr and Mrs Osarhiakhi Ebohon, on June 13, 2015, a baby was dumped at Obazuaye Street in Evbuareke Quarters, Uselu, Benin City, at about 11am. Residents saw a newborn baby wrapped in a black nylon bag. The Ebohons, among other residents, placed curses on whoever might have thrown the child away. The police was invited to take away the baby who was later sent to the Ministry of Women Affairs in Edo State. That night, Mrs. Ebohon observed that their oldest daughter, Joy, was acting different, so she tried to find out what her daughter’s problem was, to no avail. So she told the husband to probe Joy to know what the problem was. At about 5am the following day, Mr Ebohon woke Joy up and forcibly asked her to tell him the cause of her unease. Joy then opened up to her parents that she was the one who dumped the child on the street. Her angry father went to the police to report the matter. Mr Ebohon then handed ov...

Two children who were taken to hospital after their father allegedly doused them in petrol and set their sister alight in the Perth suburb of Doubleview have been discharged from hospital. A seven-year-old girl was burned when her younger sister was allegedly lit on fire by 43-year-old Edward John Herbert at a house in the early hours of Saturday morning. It is alleged Herbert poured petrol on the three-year-old girl while she was lying in her cot in the middle of the night. An off-duty police officer who lives opposite the house rushed to the scene and found the younger girl alight. She remains in a critical but stable condition in Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) with burns to her face and upper body. The seven-year-old girl was discharged from PMH on Sunday.   The third child, a six-year-old boy, was not burnt and has also been discharged from hospital. Police had earlier said he was being cared for by family. Herbert made a brief appearance in Perth Mag...